Muhammad Yunus

Portrait Details

Artist: Sedrick Huckaby
Year: 2019

Biography

Muhammad Yunus studied at Dhaka University in Bangladesh and later received a Fulbright Scholarship to study economics at Vanderbilt. Yunus earned his doctorate in economics from Vanderbilt in 1971. He taught at Middle Tennessee State University from 1969 to 1972 and returned to Bangladesh in 1972 to become the chairman of the Department of Economics at Chittagong University. He developed the concept of banking for the poor and initiated Grameen Bank, an internationally recognized model for combatting poverty through micro-lending, in 1976. As a result of his efforts, Yunus has been awarded numerous honors, including the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom and the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal.

Additional News

Exhibit celebrating Vanderbilt’s Nobel laureates

Yunus visits the Vanderbilt community to discuss social change